Niland getting there by degrees

WHILE Emma Murphy flies the flag for Ireland in the women’s individual championships and fellow Corkwoman Elsa O’Riain carries a fourth seeding into the doubles alongside Australia’s Melissa Anderson, Limerick’s Conor Niland is perfectly poised for a tilt at the NCAA men’s singles championship this week.

Like Murphy, Niland is a senior, and like his compatriot he went to California because of Peter Wright.

In this instance, to play for him on the University of California’s men’s tennis team.